Messages - Whisper

The Golden Dawn, as of now at least, is undoubtedly one of the biggest embarrassments of the nation, along with nincompoop teenage/young adult Anarchists. Moronic, meaningless violence and hooliganism, Illogical racism, Nazi sympathising, directionlessness. Despite what nonsense they might preach, they have no actual program, and they ponder only to sections of the block-headed lower classes, especially those with fetishes for flashy rallies, slogans and street fights. In essence they're just reactionary, and like the NSDAP, what prosperity they have achieved is solely due to the damaged economy.

Unfortunately, the Dawn is the only actual representative of a nationalistic right-wing "ideology" in the state currently, and thus they are to blame for the thoroughly incorrect and ill-founded idea most Greeks have about such concepts as Nationalism.

On a theoretical level however, it could be said that this statement is almost irrefutably true. Embracing the values upheld by the DLA (quantity > quality, composition just as or even more important than aesthetics, Philosophy in art etc.), would equate with artists being more wary and inclined to go in-depth with their work, most probably eliminating the contemporarily persisting trends of laziness and superficiality. These values would also most likely alienate the masses, thus forcing them to turn elsewhere for their entertainment.

The above could be expanded upon to a great degree, but this is all that I can contribute as of now.

The problem that lies with the theoretical; there is a disconnect between what otherwise intelligent people know they should, or could do, and what they actually do. We are uninspired.

I also find Averse Sefira to be one of the last great bands in Black Metal.

Indeed. I believe the fault mainly lies with current social structures and values which fail to demand the best out of the constituent particles and who demote intelligence to mere armchair posturing. Or perhaps the blame is to be set upon self-inflicted trends in intellectual circles that have persisted for a long time now? Anyhow, it is clear that an enormous chasm exists between the theoretical and the practical, while in fact these two should co-exist in a ying-yang sort of way. Also, this discussion is rendered mostly pointless in light of current values upheld by Metal-related social circles. To get the Metal community to accept the DLA (which, by the way and in case you haven't noticed, does not go by appreciated with most Metal fans) is to witness enormous changes in the internal chemistry of said community. Thus, conclusively, in order to alter the way Metal artists and the surrounding fanbase view this artistic format, we need to look deep into and perhaps change society - and the values it champions - as a whole.

Although i acknowledge that this statement is there merely to stimulate discussion, let's look at the facts here. Of all the bands that I know of that are even remotely DLA affiliated (Into Oblivion, Averse Sefira, Wulfgravf, many other "bedroom" recordings by (ex-)users) nothing of outstanding quality has ever been released. Into Oblivions has an appreciable approach, yet they fail to make something truly majestic out of it. Averse Sefira is competent, sure, but I have found that they don't have much to offer beyond this competence; they pale in comparison with the top-tier stuff. Wulfgravf and the bedroom projects showcase an admirable array of neat ideas without managing to create something truly worthwhile. We must remember that the creation of the several masterpieces of the 80's and 90's were largely done out of natural impulses and an interest towards the more "heavy" aspects of existence, rather than a set of ideals or artistic principles. It can be thoroughly supported that genius in metal is mostly accidental.

On a theoretical level however, it could be said that this statement is almost irrefutably true. Embracing the values upheld by the DLA (quantity > quality, composition just as or even more important than aesthetics, Philosophy in art etc.), would equate with artists being more wary and inclined to go in-depth with their work, most probably eliminating the contemporarily persisting trends of laziness and superficiality. These values would also most likely alienate the masses, thus forcing them to turn elsewhere for their entertainment.

The above could be expanded upon to a great degree, but this is all that I can contribute as of now.

Apart from the fact that I frankly find most mentioned releases uninteresting in the long run, is the Anus/DLA "administration" actually of the opinion that every one of said releases is superior to:

(Only including material that has been frequently heralded by both site and forum)Gorguts - Obscura, From Wisdom to HateIldjarn - Forest Poetry, Strength and AngerThe Chasm - Everything after From the Lost YearsDeeds of Flesh - Everything after Gradually MeltedImmolation - Here in After, Failures for GodsSacramentum - Far Away from the Sunetc.

or is there some other reason for the exclusion of the above? I count 19 artists 21 releases total, so the reasons are clearly not numerical. Some of the exhibited are albums from long-standing groups, so this is neither a best of by post-1995 metal bands. Despite some justifiable interpretation through appearance thus far, this is not a passive-aggressive post by any means, I'm genuinely intrigued by these omissions (which I have witnessed take place in other similar "official" lists made by this site over the years). Am I missing something here?

Anyway, so as to counter-balance this possibly meaningless post, allow me to state something fairly obvious but which is in need of acknowledgment. Most of the mentioned fall into two categories and share one common characteristic. They're either continuations of unhonored musical experiments from previous years in depth and/or surface, usually concluding in coherent results worthy of some investigation (this is the case with Blizzard Beasts, Animation of Entomology, Alloy and Oath Bound among surely others), or exercises in clearly established compositional and aesthetic standards within Metal (some might refer to this as "genre worship"), often resulting in either an expansion of the borders or a competent slab at the genre of choice (Pyramid of Necropolis, Death... The Brutal Way, Rebel Hymns of Left-Handed Terror etc.). The only thing here which I can honestly deem as somewhat revolutionary is Engram, for it introduces a new direction, albeit using a fair share of previously founded and demonstrated ideas. Nonetheless, the thing all these share is that, being forged and unleashed at a time of mass-takeover in Metal, they are all, as of now at least, unfortunately drowned out in a sea of billions upon billions of contemporary, largely irrelevant Metal-related material (this is particularly true for the stuff that came into being after the turn of the millennial). If these are truly indicative of the spirit of Metal Music, then I suppose it goes to show how it can only ever be grasped by a hand numbered few or the extent to which it has been lost upon the genre's "inheritors" after the end of Black Metal with the death of Euronymous and the release of all the major BM opuses in 1994.

Here's a review I read a while back on rateyourmusic.com from a user called misanthropic_geology (suspended now; from his ratings it can be inferred that he was probably anus affiliated) that effectively encapsulates my opinion on this release:

"I don’t really feel like crystallizing this into an “official” review. Forming paragraphs is too much work anyways god dammit!!! So here are the bullet points:

- The percussion is clumsy and hinders the flow of the music. Drum production is awful; the bass drums are too high and have an overly thunderous quality that doesn’t exactly fit the doomy atmosphere. The drumming is poorly coordinated with the guitars.-Melodic development is uniform, although not a total failure.-Generic “Stockholm” death metal sound, no character. -Forced and armature vocal performance.-Too many Autopsy fed through hardcore punk riffs that were typical of Dismember. These frequently morph into slow drudging doom riffs that don’t work that well when paired. -Creative use of synthesizers that bring greater quality to the sound of the whole.-Brings to mind images of drowning, or being abandonment in a blizzard – essentially dying alone exposed to the indifference and harshness of nature - quite metal indeed!-Stringy lead guitars that resemble ramen noodles. Far too much wah peddle – something that has NO place whatsoever in death metal. Solos are rock and roll styled which detracts from the atmosphere of despair and hopelessness.-This would be excellent if the phrases were better defined, and if the melodic development was a bit more ambitious. It would be nice if they paid closer attention to how Amorphis developed melodic ideas on their first album.- It’s one of those overrated “obscure gems” that have recently surfaced due to the Internet and the “Swedish Death Metal” book. This isn’t a necessary listen, but a bit interesting as a historical artifact from the early 90’s of Scandinavian death metal. You can hear the flavor of that era and location everywhere. The synthesizers immediately bring to mind Soulside Journey, the riffing is an amalgamation of Amorphis, Nihilist/Entombed/Dismember and Autopsy. -A better execution of this style would be the Amorphis debut album and Gorement’s “An Ending Quest” -For die hard fans of Swedish death metal only, I recommend most death metalers pass on this album."

All in all, perhaps a bit too strict, as there are plenty of moments here worthy of attention. Nonetheless, I tend to find releases in this vein [obscure, underground, recently-unearthed Swedish Death Metal, some names have already been dropped (although its should be noted that I dislike most SweDm in general, even the releases which are held in high regard here]), to be largely wanting.

Having heard the entire thing, I must say that I concur with the consensus thus far. Yet, I ask: why on earth who you want to pursue or encourage listening to something like this? There are enough "honestly aggressive", purely rhythmic (read: superficially pleasing, gets dull quickly) semi-interesting releases in grindcore as it is, why would I choose this over thousands upon thousands of similar efforts? Perhaps its a tad bit better done, but even so, does this really satisfy musical standards so as to warrant the spending of one's time? I'm fine with World Downfall, thank you very much, and until something equally lasting emerges I'm not going to bother beyond a lukewarm reaction to something essentially unmoving, albeit better than most of its contemporaries. It is in my opinion that such releases should be largely ignored, if this site is not to endanger falling into the usual trappings of overreaching critical compromise and/or tolerance. If there are indeed healthy, worthwhile ideas to be found here, they should be preserved in and of themselves, without their existence automatically equating with the high quality of the material that contains them. This is also relative in areas outside of music.

As has been said before, it needs to be understood that doom metal constitutes a distinct musical language within the realm of Metal music. Its approach can neither be compared to the essentially heavy metal nature of "proto-doom" bands such as Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Witchfinder General etc. or the more slow death metal stuff such as diSEMBOWELMENT, Ceremonium, Asphyx among seemingly countless others. For top-tier examples of Doom as an essence in and of itself, attempt immersing in: Worship (Last Release before Doomsday, although later stuff still retains an undeniable standard of quality), Funeral (Nor) (Tragedies and Beyond all Sunsets, although Tristesse does have its fair share of moments), Skepticism (Stormcrowfleet, of course. Haven't given much attention to other efforts), Mournful Congregation (everything up to and including The Monad of Creation, with it and An Epic Dream of Desire to be mostly considered), Thergothon, and perhaps Ras Algethi.

Disregard all the above and for God's sake listen to the first two (Temple of the Lost Race is also intriguing, if not on par). I'm gonna go all out and state that I find said releases to be some of the best metal material ever written. Good continuity between tracks, excellent compositions, amazing riffcraft. Essentially a hybrid of heavy metal circularity and melodic aesthetic, and death metal rhythmic/melodic progressions. I find Ophidian Wheel to be severely pale in comparison. The new stuff is horrendous, of course.

Interesting. I myself have fairly enjoyed both EP's, but also tend to find them both wanting when long term worthiness is considered. Genuinely cool riffs and a strong sense of continuity (in and in between individual songs), sure, but they can become quite derivative and melodically stagnant (almost no actual progression, mostly circularity) . Here's hoping that they will drop the Celtic Frost worship (which is definitely fun, but one has to ask why not just listen to the real thing?) and rather use the afore-mentioned group's strong sense of dynamics and riff-craft as a base towards forging their own musical language. There is good potential here, me thinks, so fingers crossed.